Loveland has suspended the city's public works director for using city equipment on a side job and a second employee for destroying public records after blowing the whistle on the director.

Now, officials are making security and equipment-tracking changes that will cost taxpayers about $19,000.

Jason Brock, a crew leader in the public works department, touched off Loveland’s investigation of his boss, director Scott Wisby, by leaving an anonymous letter on the city manager's desk last October.

Loveland suspended its public works director for using city equipment on a side job and a second employee for destroying public records after blowing the whistle on the director.(Photo: Jeanne Houck/The Enquirer)

The city said nothing publicly when Wisby was suspended for two weeks without pay last fall, and little in February when Brock emailed Loveland residents with his accusations – including some the city determined were false or could not be corroborated.

An unsigned statement posted on its website Feb. 14 said the city took unspecified disciplinary action in the public works department - naming neither employees nor misdeeds.

Information obtained by The Enquirer in open records requests shows the employee disciplined was Wisby and that he was suspended Nov. 7 after he said he used a city painting machine mounted on a city trailer to stripe a commercial parking lot in Loveland. His side business, Scott’s Blacktop Sealing, was sealing the lot.

Wisby was also suspended Oct. 15 after he said he borrowed a city riding mower he said was no longer used and a city ballfield rake. Both were for personal use.

Loveland's public works campus is on Loveland Madeira Road.(Photo: JeanneHouck/The Enquirer)

Security gate, cameras on the way

The Feb. 14 post also said the city was instituting undisclosed safeguards to prevent misconduct in the future.

The open records requested show those safeguards include:

Installing a new security gate and video surveillance system at the public works campus at 10980 Loveland Madeira Road.

Inventorying all public works equipment, marking it “Property of the City of Loveland” and putting the city logo on all public works vehicles.

Instituting a new fuel system for public works vehicles that includes vehicle numbering and fuel-use reporting.

Some of the changes being implemented were already planned, and others are being adopted as best practice procedures in light of the situation involving the public works department, Loveland officials said in an email sent by the city attorney.

Brock has been dissatisfied with the city’s investigation. After identifying himself as the whistleblower, he provided Loveland officials with more information multiple times. That led to Wisby being suspended on two separate occasions.

Outside agencies contacted

Brock also contacted county prosecutors, state auditor and ethics officials and the news media with his accusations, saying the city failed to conduct an adequate investigation. The government agencies contacted either referred the matter to Loveland or said it was outside their jurisdiction.

Loveland public works employees on the job.(Photo: Jeanne Houck/The Enquirer)

“The fact is that in this matter, the allegations made by the employee have been reviewed and investigated by the city manager and his staff and many of them lack any corroboration or substantiation, and several were found to be false,” Loveland said in its Feb. 14 post.

“City residents can be assured that the city will continue to protect the interests of our taxpayers, will not ignore claims of wrongdoing, and will continue to treat all of our employees justly within the bounds of fairness and due process as we continue to review the matter as warranted."

Whistleblower in trouble

Brock got into hot water with Loveland when he told city officials he deleted emails he sent from his private account to some Loveland residents with his accusations against Wisby, records show.

The city said the emails are public records, that Loveland officials needed them to respond to open records requests and that Brock should have known better than to delete them because he’d participated in the city’s mandatory public-records training.

City Manager Dave Kennedy suspended Brock for two days without pay beginning Feb. 28.

A portion of Loveland's public works campus sits in a valley off Loveland Madeira Road.(Photo: Jeanne Houck/The Enquirer)

“(Wisby) recognizes that he made a mistake and he’s been appropriately disciplined for it. The matter should be over, but it seems Mr. Brock didn’t want it to be over,” Tuck Loring said.

“I believe that this might be motivated by an attempt to force Mr. Wisby out of his job so Mr. Brock could take it. When he was dissatisfied with the city’s thorough and fair investigation, he took it upon himself to manufacture claims against my client."

Brock did not respond to a request for comment but said in an email to Loveland residents, “I tried to do the right thing, but now I am being portrayed as a liar after the director’s job. I do not want his job.”

“We’re evaluating the damage that Mr. Brock has already done to Mr. Wisby’s professional reputation and his personal reputation, and if the only way to ensure that the truth is told and that his reputation is repaired is to engage in a lawsuit, then that’s something that he has to consider,” Tuck Loring said.